I was recently at a social media day in London and listened to several talks about changes in social media and the technology we all use every day in our businesses. It was quite amazing to realise how quickly things change and how we all need to keep up-to-date with the latest platforms, ideas and advice.
The speaker said that when you use LinkedIn, you get the best results by using just text. He said that you need to write at least 3 lines so that you met the “more” option and if you want to put a link into the post, the save first and then add the link by editing – or put it in the comments. Most people were surprised by this but he was a LinkedIn trainer and showed several examples of how this works for different people. I was a little taken aback by this idea as I’ve always been told that images get a better response and videos are even better but when you saw the statistics and how different people have used this to their advantage, you do wonder if there is a better way. What works best for you – just text, images or video?
Video
Another presentation was about video. Video should be fun and engaging so that you draw the viewers in. Some of the best video campaigns have been about telling a story. If you do that, people naturally want to know what happens next and follow you. Keeping a template which works will ensure that your brand is consistent and people recognise it whenever they see it.
Videos are also great for showing viewers “how to”. Some of the big companies use them to demonstrate recipes or games with great effect. Looking at what the big companies do is a great way to get ideas of what you can do but on a smaller scale.
Instagram is another way of engaging prospective customers. I had never used Instagram before but we were encouraged to have a go and see the flexibility of this platform. You can post photos and also add links to your website or add tags which will get you seen by your prospective customers. This is a fun and flexible platform which links to facebook and is easy to use – even for a novice like me!
Delegate!
Social media and the algorithms seem to change constantly but to get the best out of these forms of marketing it’s essential to keep up with what’s happening. If you don’t have the time, then finding someone who can do it for you is an alternative. To be honest, social media managers are experts in what they do and to delegate your marketing and social media to them is a pretty good option. They can do all the hard work for you while you focus on another area of your business.
In business we should be striving for best practice and then make it even better! Continuous learning is the only way to achieve this. Put all your knowledge into practice and then look for ways to improve it even more so that your products and services as well as your systems and processes become the best they can possibly be.
If you’re not delegating in your business, have a look at Delegate to Elevate for some ideas on what you can start to delegate and free up your time.
